The town was packed for the entire week of Easter. You are thinking "Spring Break" where hundreds of college kids descend upon a town, get drunk and raise havoc. No, in Mexico it is mainly family week. Tens of thousands of families pile into pick up trucks packed with baskets and coolers (and lots of Mexicans) and drive to the beach. This is one reason that pick up trucks are called Mexican SUVs. Every hotel is full (some sleep in their trucks) and the beaches are wall to wall people.
Besides the families enjoying the beach, there are some drunk young kids hanging out of car doors or out of the bed of a pick up and riding through the streets screaming and singing. Some of the car radios are so loud the noise shakes the building. (As I said Mexicans love noise). But there is the religious part of Easter week as well. Mexico is the most catholic of any country I have ever visited. But here the religion is mixed with superstitions and strange symbolism (like the skeletons so evident in Mexican art). When I arrived in December there were twelve days of festivities and parades in the streets. It had nothing to do with the birth of Christ, but instead it was a celebration of the sighting of the Virgin of Guadalupe. First each school had their kids marching in their school colors singing and banging on drums. Most schools also had a pick up truck with a sort of back drop and a kid dressed either as the Virgin Mary or Juan Diego (the peasant who saw her). Then all the kids marched and sang and all the boys were dressed as peasants and the girls as virgins. Then the kids dressed like Indians and danced through the streets (not sure where the Indians came from) It was a hoot.
I had heard about the reenactment of the Passion of Christ, but never could find any kind of schedule in English. On Palm Sunday there were palm fronds everywhere (we have lots of them here) and people selling little woven crosses made of dried palm fronds, but I never saw Jesus entering town on an ass.
I was lucky enough to have been down by the Malecon when here came a bloodied Jesus dragging a cross down the street. There were Roman soldiers with whips yelling something and pushing back all the sobbing Mary's. The procession was backed up by a flank of black robed rabbis (not sure if they were for or against him) Drums beat, trumpet blared. It was quite a spectacle. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me.
I heard that they also did the Crucifixion where they tied Christ to a cross (I assume no nails) but Roman soldiers did poke at him while he hung there. With no schedule or knowledge of where to be or when, I had about given up on seeing any more. Then one day I was sipping my latte at my new coffee shop by Cadenzas Plaza near my apartment.. There is a sort of amphitheater at one end where there was a large crowd and I heard someone screaming something in Spanish, but I had just seen a dance club putting on a performance there (led by a drag queen, I might add) so I didn't even bother to look up from my latte. I might have missed the crudifixtion.
Suddenly Romans on horse back emerged followed by six roman soldiers carrying the body of Christ. Then more sobbing Marys and the black robed rabbis, but this time they added angels. Young boys and girls in scant white costumes and huge five foot wings strapped to their back. The processions march right through the streets so all traffic stops, but not even the cabby's seem to mind. I think they went from plaza to plaza but I did not follow them. I must get into the habit of carrying my camera every day (I know my phone takes photos, but I don't know how to move them to a computer).
The town is suddenly quiet now. The Mexican families are not only gone, but the "snow birds' have gone back to their real homes (even my favorite martini swilling drinking buddies are gone). It is getting warmer so I have the air conditioning on at night. Summer is coming, we will see how I handle it.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
BOTANICAL GARDENS
Ever since I arrived here, I have heard about the Botanical Gardens. There are posters and signs about it all over town, so I wanted to go there. One day on my way to the gym, I stopped at a little tourist stand and inquired about the cost. He said it would be 500 pesos. I started to walk away when he dropped the price to 400 pesos. It still seemed to high since it only included the bus ride and admission. So, I called my friend here and he said there is a city bus direct to the gardens for 20 pesos. (You must question the price of everything here).
The next day we were off. The bus goes toward Boca then turns inland and up into the mountains. The gardens are on 20 acres and according to the brochure has 3,000 different species of plants. It only opened 6 years ago. For 5 pesos I got a map. The admission price is 50 pesos (I have no idea if the 500 pesos would have included the map or not). The paths are not easily navigated as they are just dirt with lots of tree roots. Sometimes the path consists of nothing but tree roots. You walk through a jungle under a canopy of various trees. Again I would love to go there after a rain, but I am not sure what condition the dirt paths would be. Mostly it is just a jungle with a few flowers. Most of the flowers are in sort of open air hot houses.
One building had a vine of long strange flowers. It looked like a wisteria, except the blossoms are bright red and yellow. The strangest was a hanging iridescent blue green. There is a beautiful flower covered restaurant that was highly recommended. The restaurant was closed! We think it was because the staff had been let off for the Easter Holidays. After touring the gardens we were hungry so we decided to take a bus to a little town called El Tuito.
The bus ride was about 20 minutes up into the mountains. As we climbed higher the palm trees gave way to pine trees. El Tuito looks like a set from an old Clint Eastwood western. I would swear that "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" was filmed there. There are no tourist shops there (no reason for a tourist to visit, really). There was a plaque that said the town was founded in 1525. I am not sure by what. I think the Aztecs were still around in the early 1500s.
We did find a nice restaurant and had a very good cheap lunch with a couple of beers. As you can see from the photos, there isn't much to see there so we boarded a bus back. It took over an hour to reach Puerto Vallarta on one of the worst bus rides I have had. None of the buses have shocks, but I don't think this bus was driving on rubber tires. Thank God we had padded seats. (maybe that is what the 500 pesos was all about - a better bus).
The next day we were off. The bus goes toward Boca then turns inland and up into the mountains. The gardens are on 20 acres and according to the brochure has 3,000 different species of plants. It only opened 6 years ago. For 5 pesos I got a map. The admission price is 50 pesos (I have no idea if the 500 pesos would have included the map or not). The paths are not easily navigated as they are just dirt with lots of tree roots. Sometimes the path consists of nothing but tree roots. You walk through a jungle under a canopy of various trees. Again I would love to go there after a rain, but I am not sure what condition the dirt paths would be. Mostly it is just a jungle with a few flowers. Most of the flowers are in sort of open air hot houses.
One building had a vine of long strange flowers. It looked like a wisteria, except the blossoms are bright red and yellow. The strangest was a hanging iridescent blue green. There is a beautiful flower covered restaurant that was highly recommended. The restaurant was closed! We think it was because the staff had been let off for the Easter Holidays. After touring the gardens we were hungry so we decided to take a bus to a little town called El Tuito.
The bus ride was about 20 minutes up into the mountains. As we climbed higher the palm trees gave way to pine trees. El Tuito looks like a set from an old Clint Eastwood western. I would swear that "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" was filmed there. There are no tourist shops there (no reason for a tourist to visit, really). There was a plaque that said the town was founded in 1525. I am not sure by what. I think the Aztecs were still around in the early 1500s.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
YALAPA BY YACHT
Okay, as you can see by the photo, it was not a yacht, but a canopied water taxi holding about 20 to 25 people. Since the pier was torn down (they actually are working on the new one) you have to wade out to the boat (wear sandals that don't easily slip off). One of my reasons to visit Yalapa was to find the "elusive Rita". The story of Rita would take a book, so let's just say it was someone I knew over 45 years ago in Puerto Vallarta.
Rita ran a restaurant called La Margarita before the Burtons arrived. Once Liz (she did hate that name) and Dick arrived they either dined there or stopped for drinks almost every night (lots of drinks). When Rita was given 24 hours to leave Mexico (too long a story) I was the one who helped her move some of her stuff back to the US. We put her to work at a business I was a partial owner of at the time (Designs of Mexico) and then after a few years, disappeared in San Francisco forty five years ago. I thought she was dead, but the owner of my favorite bar here, told me there was an American red headed character, who used to own a bar in PV now living in Yalapa. I did find someone who said he knew her and he pointed out her house up on the hill but said, "She is now here now" The same story every time, so I still don't know if it is the Rita I knew.
Now to Yalapa. You can still only get there by boat and yet the town was founded in the 1800's. When I first saw it there were no paved roads, sewage, and limited electricity. It is now a village of about 2000 people with cobble stoned streets. Actually they aren't really streets as there are no cars. Other than walking, the main means of transportation are horses or donkeys.
I did walk up to the first waterfall (about a ten minute walk) and even after a recent dry spell, it is quite pretty. There is another larger one further up, but it was about an hour walk and no one had really good directions to get to it. Yalapa is still a sleepy little fishing village and quite charming. Like almost all coastal villages, there is a river running to it (a real river, not a sewer). There aren't a lot of touristy shops like Salulita.
Fruit trees are everywhere: banana, papaya, mangoes, and lots of other strange looking fruits. You also see lots of iguanas, but still no tropical birds. There isn't much to do except to walk around the town, eat and drink. Our boatman and guide told us that if we ate at one restaurant we got a free drink with our meal for taking his water taxi. It seemed like a good idea so I had a cheviche and two beers. When they charged me for the two, I had a fit (it seems I did not show them my ticket first) I never walk away from a good fight and eventually got one of the beers off my bill. I also had an encounter with a man carrying around a huge iguana. I foolishly took a picture and he demanded 50 pesos. A ridiculous amount so I deleted the photo, but the would not leave me alone. I finally gave him 30 pesos (I don't win all my fights).
All in all, I would say that the boat trip was the best part. It is well worth the $20 just for a round trip. The boat hugs the coastline which is gorgeous. It appears as if the hills are pure rock and yet the jungle grows right down to the water. We stopped at Los Arcos, but did not go through the tunnel in the rock. I think the boat was too large. We stopped there to view the rocks and feed the fish (some quite colorful). On the way over, we were all required to put on life jackets. On the way back they never bothered to unpack them. (I guess they thought we were sea worthy by then). It is a nice day trip I will repeat, and hopefully find Rita next time.
Rita ran a restaurant called La Margarita before the Burtons arrived. Once Liz (she did hate that name) and Dick arrived they either dined there or stopped for drinks almost every night (lots of drinks). When Rita was given 24 hours to leave Mexico (too long a story) I was the one who helped her move some of her stuff back to the US. We put her to work at a business I was a partial owner of at the time (Designs of Mexico) and then after a few years, disappeared in San Francisco forty five years ago. I thought she was dead, but the owner of my favorite bar here, told me there was an American red headed character, who used to own a bar in PV now living in Yalapa. I did find someone who said he knew her and he pointed out her house up on the hill but said, "She is now here now" The same story every time, so I still don't know if it is the Rita I knew.
Now to Yalapa. You can still only get there by boat and yet the town was founded in the 1800's. When I first saw it there were no paved roads, sewage, and limited electricity. It is now a village of about 2000 people with cobble stoned streets. Actually they aren't really streets as there are no cars. Other than walking, the main means of transportation are horses or donkeys.
I did walk up to the first waterfall (about a ten minute walk) and even after a recent dry spell, it is quite pretty. There is another larger one further up, but it was about an hour walk and no one had really good directions to get to it. Yalapa is still a sleepy little fishing village and quite charming. Like almost all coastal villages, there is a river running to it (a real river, not a sewer). There aren't a lot of touristy shops like Salulita.
Fruit trees are everywhere: banana, papaya, mangoes, and lots of other strange looking fruits. You also see lots of iguanas, but still no tropical birds. There isn't much to do except to walk around the town, eat and drink. Our boatman and guide told us that if we ate at one restaurant we got a free drink with our meal for taking his water taxi. It seemed like a good idea so I had a cheviche and two beers. When they charged me for the two, I had a fit (it seems I did not show them my ticket first) I never walk away from a good fight and eventually got one of the beers off my bill. I also had an encounter with a man carrying around a huge iguana. I foolishly took a picture and he demanded 50 pesos. A ridiculous amount so I deleted the photo, but the would not leave me alone. I finally gave him 30 pesos (I don't win all my fights).
Saturday, April 9, 2011
THE GYM
Ever since I arrived here, I have thought about joining a gym. Not just for reasons of health (and possibly help in firming up all this sagging flesh) but for social reasons. I thought it would be a good way to meet permanent residents. So one day on my way across the bridge to my bank, I noticed that a new gym was opening right on the river.
As soon as it opened I stopped by to inquire about rates and what help I might expect. No one was interested in talking to me, so I just walked around. It was quite large with beautiful new equipment and the tread mills were placed in from of large windows overlooking the river. Later I went back to try again. Two employees were talking to each other. I waited patently for them to finish their conversation. The guy (who must have been a trainer judging from his body) just walked away. The woman reluctantly turned to me. She spoke little or no English and after handing me a rate sheet, she too walked away. I was not pleased.
Then a friend told me about a gym that opened a year or so ago just a few blocks from my apartment. As soon as I entered, a smiling young man (with a very large body) walked toward me and asked if I needed any help. The equipment looked fairly new and the place was very neat and clean including the showers and dressing room. The next day I paid him for one month. I wanted to be sure I did like it and that my old body was up to the rigors of exercise. After receiving a towel and locker, I did not receive any further help, but then I did not ask. Many of the machines were familiar to me so after 15 minutes on the tread mill I did about 45 more minutes of exercises. To my amazement, my only sore muscles were in my legs (the only good muscles I thought I had) I could barely get up and down my spiral staircase for days.
Since then, I have figured out which leg machine caused the problem and continued pretty much on my own.
One day, the "not so good looking partner" was alone in the gym so I asked him for help. The first thing he asked is what part of my body did I want to work on.. Standing there in gym shorts and T shirt it had to be obvious that there wasn't any part of my body that did not need work. He was very nice and helpful. The smiling Adonis is still very pleasant but not very forthcoming with help.
I have yet to make any new friends there, and have not lost one kilo, but I have only been going for a few weeks. I have increased my time on the tread mill, and my number of exercises and repetitions. I will persevere.
As soon as it opened I stopped by to inquire about rates and what help I might expect. No one was interested in talking to me, so I just walked around. It was quite large with beautiful new equipment and the tread mills were placed in from of large windows overlooking the river. Later I went back to try again. Two employees were talking to each other. I waited patently for them to finish their conversation. The guy (who must have been a trainer judging from his body) just walked away. The woman reluctantly turned to me. She spoke little or no English and after handing me a rate sheet, she too walked away. I was not pleased.
Then a friend told me about a gym that opened a year or so ago just a few blocks from my apartment. As soon as I entered, a smiling young man (with a very large body) walked toward me and asked if I needed any help. The equipment looked fairly new and the place was very neat and clean including the showers and dressing room. The next day I paid him for one month. I wanted to be sure I did like it and that my old body was up to the rigors of exercise. After receiving a towel and locker, I did not receive any further help, but then I did not ask. Many of the machines were familiar to me so after 15 minutes on the tread mill I did about 45 more minutes of exercises. To my amazement, my only sore muscles were in my legs (the only good muscles I thought I had) I could barely get up and down my spiral staircase for days.
Since then, I have figured out which leg machine caused the problem and continued pretty much on my own.
One day, the "not so good looking partner" was alone in the gym so I asked him for help. The first thing he asked is what part of my body did I want to work on.. Standing there in gym shorts and T shirt it had to be obvious that there wasn't any part of my body that did not need work. He was very nice and helpful. The smiling Adonis is still very pleasant but not very forthcoming with help.
I have yet to make any new friends there, and have not lost one kilo, but I have only been going for a few weeks. I have increased my time on the tread mill, and my number of exercises and repetitions. I will persevere.
Friday, April 1, 2011
SAYULITA
Puerto Vallarta is in the center of the Bay of Banderas (the largest bay in Mexico). Sayulita is around the tip of the bay on the Pacific Ocean. It takes almost two hours (yes, by bus) and you have to change buses. I was anxious to see Sayulita, but was dreading the long bus ride.
The second bus actually had real cushioned fabric seats, so all the bumps and jogs were somewhat minimized. After you pass the "hotel district"' you go through a few small towns and what looks like a Mexican Everglades. Then the road turns into the mountains. It is a jungle out there that I would love to see once the rains wash away all the dust on the trees and vines. I was pretty much preoccupied with the passing view which made the long ride more tolerable.
The town of Sayulita resembles a small tropical Tijuana. Some streets are just dirt and some of the cobble stoned streets are flooded. They were building a new bridge over some sort of creek so we had to cross on a swinging bridge. This "creek" was a muddy mess that looked more like a sewer. Tourist shops line the streets and beach (they have the strangest idea what appeals to tourists). Visitors are younger than usual, mainly because of the surfing. Since it is on the Pacific, they get a good surf. We strolled along the beach (stopped for a beer) then settled on Don Pedro;s for lunch. It was the nicest looking restaurant I saw and sits just above the sand with a nice view. Lunch was just okay.
After lunch we wandered around more of the town. Check out the photo of the little lime green house. It says it is a pharmacy. One has to wonder what kind of drugs you might buy there. The town has a decent square (with standard gazebo) where street peddlers line up to sell you what ever they can. It was a pleasant day, but much too touristy for me. I prefer the tiny town of Boca (its cheaper) and doesn't have a sewer running through it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)